The World's Oldest Basketball Sneaker

The Colchester Rubber Co. Basketball Sneaker is an important part of our American Heritage history. The impeccable quality and detail to design showcase the Victorian's talent and pride in their work.

The original sneaker's rubber has yellowed with age. Originally it was white. The rubber is impure and you can see bits and particles in the outer and bottom sole because they had not yet invented a way to remove impurities, that invention did not occur until around 1913, and at that time it was also figured out how to make rubber in different colors.

The Owner of Colchester Rubber Co., George Watkinson, was from England and many of their designs were inspired from his home country.

The sneakers are believed to have once been owned and worn by Dr. JamesNaismith, inventor of Basketball. He invented the game in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, a mere 50 miles away from Colchester Rubber Co's factory. The sneakers were most likely a prototype designed for Dr. Naismith by Colchester Rubber to be used in his new game of basket-ball.

The Colchester Rubber Co. Basketball Sneaker predates any of it's competitors by a quarter of a century, making it the world's oldest basketball sneaker.